Review: Through the Woods

Through the Woods by Emily Carroll
Age Group: Young Adult
Genre: Horror, Sequential Art, Short Stories
Release Date: Published July 15th 2014 by Margaret K. McElderry Books
Buy Links: Amazon ♥ Book Depository

Book Description

'It came from the woods. Most strange things do.'

Five mysterious, spine-tingling stories follow journeys into (and out of?) the eerie abyss.

These chilling tales spring from the macabre imagination of acclaimed and award-winning comic creator Emily Carroll.

Come take a walk in the woods and see what awaits you there…

♥ ♥ ♥

Lately I’ve been on a big graphic novel and comics kick devouring big name books and smaller ones as fast as my library holds come in and Through the Woods by Emily Carroll did not disappoint.

In these five graphic tales, Carroll’s prose and art blend seamlessly to bring you on a journey through haunting tales of strange things that come from or go into the woods. With the strong folkloric feel, the stories themselves seem to end in such a way that leaves you wanting to go deeper into each little universe.

Book Blast: Prisoner (Criminals & Captives #1)

Prisoner (Criminals & Captives #1) by Annika Martin, Skye Warren
Age Group: New Adult
Genre: Romance
Release Date: October 23, 2014
Buy Links:

Amazon

Book Description:

He seethes with raw power the first time I see him—pure menace and rippling muscles in shackles. He’s dangerous. He’s wild. He’s the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen.

So I hide behind my prim glasses and my book like I always do, because I have secrets too. Then he shows up in the prison writing class I have to teach, and he blows me away with his honesty. 

He tells me secrets in his stories, and it’s getting harder to hide mine. I shiver when he gets too close, with only the cuffs and the bars and the guards holding him back. At night I can’t stop thinking about him in his cell.

But that’s the thing about an animal in a cage—you never know when he’ll bite. He might use you to escape. He might even pull you into a forest and hold a hand over your mouth so you can’t call for the cops. He might make you come so hard, you can’t think.

And you might crave him more than your next breath.

♥ ♥ ♥

Why I Write Dark Romance

Thanks so much for having me! I’m Skye Warren, New York Times bestselling author of dark romance. I’m excited to share my new release, Prisoner, which is a book I co-wrote with my friend and bestselling author Annika Martin.

I think one of the joys of reading, thinking back even to childhood, was the sense that anything could happen. Wardrobes opened to new lands and golden tickets opened the gate to magical chocolate factories.

When I got a little older (but probably not old enough) I started reading Anne Rice. Ooo boy, let me tell you. The Witching Hour is as dark and as taboo as it gets. There’s ménage and incest and all kinds of wild times. And these were books sitting on a nice, bright shelf in the bookstore that my parents bought for me—totally not knowing what was inside!

So I really didn’t have a sense that there were boundaries in books. That was something I learned later, as an adult. And it’s something I try to unlearn, in a way.

13 Days of Halloween: Movie Fix

We all have a list of movies we like to watch as Halloween nears. Don't lie, you know you do too. Halloween brings out the spooky in us. So below is my list of movies that I like to watch leading up to and on Halloween.

1. Nightmare Before Christmas - Bored with the same old scare-and-scream routine, Pumpkin King Jack Skellington longs to spread the joy of Christmas. But his merry mission puts Santa in jeopardy and creates a nightmare for good little boys and girls everywhere.

Book Blitz: Hansel, Part I (Hansel #1)

Hansel, Part I (Hansel #1) by Ella James
Age Group: Adult
Genre: Romance, Erotica
Release Date: October 22, 2014
Buy Links:

Amazon

Book Description:

My name is Gretel. I’m the dish-washer. The kitchen girl. I’m not one of Mother’s pets. 

I’m just a storybook girl no one sees. Until that night. When I find him again, and all my dreams come to life.

He’s mine—the one called Hansel. I’ve come here to claim him.

I’m Hansel, a crazy woman’s toy. It’s taken years, but I’ve finally forgotten everything outside my life here in The House. 

I live for sex and nothing more. Until I see her. Gretel.

I remember her. I need her. She is mine.



♥ ♥ ♥
Excerpt:

I should have called this shit off a long damn time ago.

When I arrived in Vegas seven years ago, I didn’t know any better than what I was. Than what I did. I needed things I haven’t needed in a fucking long time now. Dominating women…it was the air in my lungs.

Now it’s goddamned boring.

13 Days of Halloween: Music Fix

There's nothing like settling down with a good book and music to accompany it, so here's a roundup of my current favorite 8tracks playlists that are Halloween themed.

Hocus Pocus by book’em-spacemonkey
an instrumental mix to start things off

Book Blitz: Unethical

Unethical by Jennifer Blackwood
Age Group: New Adult
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Release Date: October 20, 2014
Buy Links:

Amazon ♥ B & N

Book Description:

Love burns hotter the second time around…

Two years ago, the medical world was shaken by scandal, and Payton Daniels's family was at the center of it. 

The second she graduated, Payton left everything behind―her high school sweetheart, her family, and the controversy surrounding her mother's death—and hid within the anonymity of college. 

But Payton’s ex, Blake Hiller, hasn't forgiven her for leaving, and when he enrolls in the same medical ethics class, she panics. She can’t run the risk of him telling everyone who she really is.

As if being at the same university isn’t enough, both Blake and Payton land the same internship. Forced together, their passion for each other reignites, but when Payton is asked to testify in her father’s high-profile trial, she must choose between risking her acceptance into medical school to help her father, and losing every connection to her past—including the only guy she’s ever loved.

♥ ♥ ♥
Excerpt:

My pillow was wet and stuck to my face. I inhaled, and my nose wrinkled as the stench of beer, Kool-Aid, and—French fries?—stung my nostrils. “Morning, sunshine.” Jules handed me a red Gatorade and ruffled my hair. She was eating curly fries and swiveled from side to side in my computer chair, the motion making me seasick. She shoved a fry in my mouth. “It’s good for your hangover. Eat up.”

I peeled my cheek off the fabric, chewed the fry, and sat up. Immediately, I laid back down and pulled the covers over my head, the material cold and damp against my skin. What the hell? With a dull ache in my hip and my head throbbing like it was having its own techno rave, it made it impossible to recount the events of the frat party. Crap. What did I do?

“This is embarrassing, but what happened last night?” I pushed my comforter off and took a swig of Gatorade to dilute the stale alcohol taste in my mouth. I didn’t remember anything after seeing Blake at the party.

13 Days of Halloween: Five Great Things To Do On Halloween

Every year people go around looking for things to do on Halloween and the days leading up to it and there is no shortage of fun to be had on All Hallows Eve. So, below are some of my favorite things to do on the days leading up to Halloween and of course the night of!

1. Pumpkin Picking - Okay, so not everyone has eons of time in their schedule to spend doing Halloween stuff, but pumpkin picking is essential! It's something that you should definitely experience at least once. Typically you can go to any farm in your area, take a tracker out to the field and pick away. As far as I know it doesn't cost anything to pick the pumpkins, but you do pay by weight, so obviously the bigger you get the more expensive it is. Out here in Jersey my favorite pumpkin picking place is Cheesequake Farms. It's not exactly the closest place to me, but it's well worth the drive.